Frequently Asked Questions1. What are the situations in which mind wandering may occur?Mind-wandering mostly occurs during driving, reading (most striking context) and other activities that are non-demanding tasks where one does not need to pay a lot of careful attention.2. Is mind wandering beneficial?A study published in 2012 showed that the content of mind-wandering is predominantly focused on events that relate to the future; it also showed that individuals with high working memory capacity are more likely to engage in prospective mind-wandering. Put together the study suggests that mind-wandering can enable prospective cognitive operations that are likely to be useful as individuals navigate through their daily lives. 3. What is the relationship between mind wandering and creativity?A recent study in 2012 showed that mind wandering (non-demanding activities) led to more creative solutions on the second attempt than situations that did not allow for mind-wandering (demanding tasks). In fact the study revealed that engaging in a non-demanding activity was better than not doing anything at all. Together they concluded that non-demanding activities provide greater chances of opening up creative inspirations. Published on Dec 19, 2017Last Updated on Dec 21, 2017
